Blessed Tuesday!

Countdown: Nine more work days before retirement!

I arrive at 6:00 AM and I am usually the man who turns on the lights before everyone else arrives. In the semi-darkness, the cubicles are ergonomic catacombs. The soles of my shoes shuffle on the carpet. I literally feel and hear the earth move under my feet: random sounds indicate that the building is shifting, such as machines and modular desks and cabinets creaking, which the ignorant amplify in their minds and mistake for the presence of ghosts. Most of my co-workers have never seen the office this way before. It is an almost numinous experience. I am surrounded with a kind of silence that fosters peace of mind.

The huge hall is now brightly lighted. The first people who come in are the cleaners. The vacuum suction machines and the brisk rustling of plastic bags being replaced in module bins now overpower the sounds of "ghosts."

I log on at my work station. The first thing I do is check my e-mail inbox for messages from DC, receive calls from them, and call them if necessary. It is 6:00 PM where they are now. They are getting ready to go home, but I have just arrived at the office--the day after in their calendar, while all of them are already part of my yesterday.